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The average cost of a funeral has increased from £8,905 to £9,204 in just a year, according to a report by SunLife published earlier this month, and a recent YouGov survey for Co-op found that 4 million people have experienced financial hardship as a result of fees incurred following the death of a loved one.

This has seen mourners forced to shop around find a bargain, but funeral provider Dignity warned: “Experts working in the industry described a wide range in standards of facilities to care for the deceased. This included inadequate storage, lack of refrigeration and general disregard for the person that had died.

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The average cost of a funeral has increased from £8,905 to £9,204 in just a year, according to a report by SunLife published earlier this month, and a recent YouGov survey for Co-op found that 4 million people have experienced financial hardship as a result of fees incurred following the death of a loved one.

This has seen mourners forced to shop around find a bargain, but funeral provider Dignity warned: “Experts working in the industry described a wide range in standards of facilities to care for the deceased. This included inadequate storage, lack of refrigeration and general disregard for the person that had died.

“Mourners expect funeral directors to adhere to industry standards or be regulated by the government. Many wrongly assume there are common standards for facilities and training across the sector to ensure their loved one who has passed away is properly cared for. Current industry codes of practice should be updated to reflect these findings.”

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The number of funeral locations has increased from 4,500 in 2004 to as many as 6,000, according to managing director at Quest, James Congdon, in an interview with the BBC’s Today Programme on Monday.

He was speaking in response to the decision announced by Co-op on Monday, to reduce the cost of its simple funerals by £100. This comes amidst mounting pressure on traditional market leaders, such as Co-op and Dignity, to adapt to an increasingly competitive funeral market.

Although all members of the National Association of Funeral Directors are ‘regularly inspected’ and ‘abide by a strict Code of Practice’, in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, there are no restrictions or regulations on who can operate as a funeral director.

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Growing stories of industry mismanagement prompted the campaign group, Fairer Finance to publish a report last year highlighting the lack of clarity within pricing, frequent mismatch between customer expectations and outcomes and persistent and high pressure sales tactics.

There have been a number of high profile cases of mismanagement, including that of Somerset funeral director Alison Pople, who in 2016 narrowly avoided jail after stealing at least £14,000 from grieving families who had asked for charity donations after a loved one's death.

Amid concerns about the regulation of the industry, the CMA launched an investigation in June this year into the practices of funeral directors and competition and transparency within the sector as a whole. HM Treasury has also launched a call for evidence on regulation within the funerals sector.

CLARIFICATION: The Competition and Markets Authority investigation into the funeral sector will look at the whole industry, not only 'DIY funeral directors' as an earlier version of this article could have suggested. We are happy to clarify.